Good Friday

Sunday Morning Bible Study

April 2, 2010

The Cross in 3D

Introduction

I have to admit that the title of the message is a bit of a “gimmick” for the sake of my good friend Ron West, who is REALLY into the new 3D TVs that are coming out.

When I found that I had these “3D” pictures of the Holy Land dating back to the late 1800s, it sounded like a pretty cool thing to show you all.

We’ll first test to see if our “glasses” are working. It seems to work best if you give your eyes a chance to adjust.

Somebody’s patio. The downhill skier. Boys in a flooded street. The camel. The skyline of Tokyo (with Godzilla passing through).

Here are some of those cool “3D” pictures from the Holy Land 120 years ago…

Solomon’s Stables, Inside the Jaffa Gate, Outside the Jaffa Gate, Lepers begging

Here are some pictures a little more for today, Good Friday:

The Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus on the way to Golgotha, Simon helping Jesus carry the cross, Golgotha, the place of the skull.

(you can take off the glasses now)

Last week I visited our friend Dan Dalke and told him about my message idea for today. I asked him that I wanted to have three points to my message, all beginning with the letter “D”, and thus make the message “3-D”.

Dan suggested my first two points: Death and Deliverance. I suggested that my next points could be “Dan Dalke”, but that would make it “4D”, so my last point will be Devotion.

Death

To make an image appear to be “3D”, you have to take images from at least two sources and feed those images to the eyes in a way where your left eye sees one image and your right eye sees the other image.

We don’t have the high tech stuff, but I found some pictures with that old fashioned Red/Blue technology – known as “anaglyph”

The skeptics will point out that the different gospel accounts of Jesus death are not the same, and they make that sound unreliable. In reality, what you get are not different accounts, but simply descriptions from different vantage points.

If you just look at one of the gospels, you get a “2D” account. But put together two or more of the gospels and a simple “flat” picture becomes a “3D” one.

I want to look at the Death of Christ on the cross with little clips from each of the four gospel writers.

By noon on Good Friday, Jesus has not slept in probably some thirty hours.

The previous night

Jesus spent the evening with the disciples first in the Upper Room, and then on to the Garden of Gethsemane where He was praying.

Judas showed up in the Garden, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus was arrested.

He was first brought before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest where He was questioned about His doctrine. John tells us:

(Jn 18:20) Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.

One of the arresting officers strikes Jesus for speaking to Annas.

Next He was taken to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin where He was put on trial, mocked, and then beaten. Mark records:

(Mk 14:65 NKJV) Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

It was during this trial that Peter denied knowing the Lord three times. (Luke 22:54–62)

The rooster crows and the night is over.

Dawn to 9:00am Friday morning

The Sanhedrin decided to hand Jesus over to the Romans in order to be put to death. (Mark 15:1)

When Judas sees that Jesus was condemned, he goes and commits suicide (Matthew 27:3–10)

Jesus stands before Pilate, where He receives Pilates first batch of questions (Luke 23:1–5)

Pilate sends Jesus to Herod, where the chief priests urge Jesus be put to death (Luke 23:6–12). Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate wearing a purple robe.

Jesus stands before Pilate a second time. Pilate tries to get out of having to kill Jesus, but ends up releasing Barabbas to the crowd instead of Jesus (Matthew 27:15–26). Pilate has Jesus scourged (John 19:1). Jesus is sent to be crucified.

Before taking Him to Golgotha, the Roman soldiers mock Jesus, putting the purple robe back on Him, as well as a crown of thorns. They spit on Him, beat Him in the head with a stick, and say “Hail to the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:27–30). On the way to Golgotha, Luke records:

(Lk 23:26–33 NKJV) —26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” 32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

At 9:00am in the morning

Jesus is crucified. Matthew tells us:

(Mt 27:35–44 NKJV) —35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” 36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Luke tells us more about the other criminals:

(Lk 23:39–43 NKJV) —39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

John tells us there were others standing near the cross:

(Jn 19:25–27 NKJV) —25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

From noon to 3:00pm

Everything goes dark. Mark records:

(Mk 15:33–34 NKJV) —33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

I believe that it was during those three hours of darkness Jesus was having the sins of the world heaped upon Him.

Play “The Weight of the Cross” video. John records:

(Jn 19:28–30 NKJV) —28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

It was finished. He had paid the debt. He had paid our debt.

Deliverance

From guilt

He has paid for our sins with His death on the cross.

(Isa 53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

God took all of our sins and laid them on Jesus. When we were supposed to have died for our sins, Jesus died in our place.

You may want to beat yourself up over your sins, but the truth is, if you have opened your heart to Jesus, then He has suffered in your place. He’s paid the price.

This is why we call this day “Good Friday”. It was the best day in the history of humanity.

God stepped into human time and paid for our sins.

From sin’s bondage

His death not only pays the debt for our sin, but also frees us from the bondage that sin has us in.

(Ro 6:6 NLT) We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

(Gal 2:20

(2 Co 5:15 NLT) He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Jesus died so we could have a new way of life, not a life of being “sin-less”, but a life of learning to “sin less”

This isn’t an automatic thing. We still have to take actual steps away from sin. But sin has lost its grip on us.

Devotion

His death proves His love for us, His “devotion” to us.

(Jn 15:13 NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

(Ro 5:8 NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(1 Jn 3:16 NKJV) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

I know that we go through difficult periods in life.

I know that we wonder if God could truly love us.

In reality, we should never doubt God’s love. We simply need to look at the cross to know for sure.

Forgive me for using “gimmicks” today.

There is one thing about today that is NOT a gimmick. God does love you.

We’re going to take communion in a minute. Instead of passing the baskets, we’re going to ask you to come up to the front and take the bread and cup back to your seat. Take your time. Come when you’re ready. Eat and drink when you’re ready. If you have to go back to work, you can leave after you’ve taken communion.

Pray for the communion elements.

Before you come forward, one more video …

Play “Elements of Easter” video.

The Cross in 3D

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision

I have to admit that the title of the message is a bit of a “gimmick” for the sake of my good friend Ron West, who is REALLY into the new 3D TVs that are coming out.

When I found that I had these “3D” pictures of the Holy Land dating back to the late 1800s, it sounded like a pretty cool thing to show you all.

We’ll first test to see if our “glasses” are working. It seems to work best if you give your eyes a chance to adjust.

Somebody’s patio. The downhill skier. Boys in a flooded street. The camel. The skyline of Tokyo (with Godzilla passing through).

Here are some of those cool “3D” pictures from the Holy Land 120 years ago…

Solomon’s Stables, Inside the Jaffa Gate, Outside the Jaffa Gate, Lepers begging

Here are some pictures a little more for today, Good Friday:

The Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus on the way to Golgotha, Simon helping Jesus carry the cross, Golgotha, the place of the skull.

(you can take off the glasses now)

Last week I visited our friend Dan Dalke and told him about my message idea for today. I asked him that I wanted to have three points to my message, all beginning with the letter “D”, and thus make the message “3-D”.

Dan suggested my first two points: Death and Deliverance. I suggested that my next points could be “Dan Dalke”, but that would make it “4D”, so my last point will be Devotion.

Death

To make an image appear to be “3D”, you have to take images from at least two sources and feed those images to the eyes in a way where your left eye sees one image and your right eye sees the other image.

We don’t have the high tech stuff, but I found some pictures with that old fashioned Red/Blue technology – known as “anaglyph”

The skeptics will point out that the different gospel accounts of Jesus death are not the same, and they make that sound unreliable. In reality, what you get are not different accounts, but simply descriptions from different vantage points.

If you just look at one of the gospels, you get a “2D” account. But put together two or more of the gospels and a simple “flat” picture becomes a “3D” one.

I want to look at the Death of Christ on the cross with little clips from each of the four gospel writers.

By noon on Good Friday, Jesus has not slept in probably some thirty hours.

The previous night

Jesus spent the evening with the disciples first in the Upper Room, and then on to the Garden of Gethsemane where He was praying.

Judas showed up in the Garden, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus was arrested.

He was first brought before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest where He was questioned about His doctrine. John tells us:

(Jn 18:20) Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.

One of the arresting officers strikes Jesus for speaking to Annas.

Next He was taken to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin where He was put on trial, mocked, and then beaten. Mark records:

(Mk 14:65 NKJV) Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

It was during this trial that Peter denied knowing the Lord three times. (Luke 22:54–62)

The rooster crows and the night is over.

Dawn to 9:00am Friday morning

The Sanhedrin decided to hand Jesus over to the Romans in order to be put to death. (Mark 15:1)

When Judas sees that Jesus was condemned, he goes and commits suicide (Matthew 27:3–10)

Jesus stands before Pilate, where He receives Pilates first batch of questions (Luke 23:1–5)

Pilate sends Jesus to Herod, where the chief priests urge Jesus be put to death (Luke 23:6–12). Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate wearing a purple robe.

Jesus stands before Pilate a second time. Pilate tries to get out of having to kill Jesus, but ends up releasing Barabbas to the crowd instead of Jesus (Matthew 27:15–26). Pilate has Jesus scourged (John 19:1). Jesus is sent to be crucified.

Before taking Him to Golgotha, the Roman soldiers mock Jesus, putting the purple robe back on Him, as well as a crown of thorns. They spit on Him, beat Him in the head with a stick, and say “Hail to the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:27–30). On the way to Golgotha, Luke records:

At 9:00am in the morning

Jesus is crucified. Matthew tells us:

Luke tells us more about the other criminals:

John tells us there were others standing near the cross:

From noon to 3:00pm

Everything goes dark. Mark records:

(Mk 15:33–34 NKJV) —33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

I believe that it was during those three hours of darkness Jesus was having the sins of the world heaped upon Him.

Play “The Weight of the Cross” video. John records:

It was finished. He had paid the debt. He had paid our debt.

Deliverance

From guilt

He has paid for our sins with His death on the cross.

(Isa 53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

God took all of our sins and laid them on Jesus. When we were supposed to have died for our sins, Jesus died in our place.

You may want to beat yourself up over your sins, but the truth is, if you have opened your heart to Jesus, then He has suffered in your place. He’s paid the price.

This is why we call this day “Good Friday”. It was the best day in the history of humanity.

God stepped into human time and paid for our sins.

From sin’s bondage

His death not only pays the debt for our sin, but also frees us from the bondage that sin has us in.

(Ro 6:6 NLT) We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

(Gal 2:20 NKJV) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

(2 Co 5:15 NLT) He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Jesus died so we could have a new way of life, not a life of being “sin-less”, but a life of learning to “sin less”

This isn’t an automatic thing. We still have to take actual steps away from sin. But sin has lost its grip on us.

Devotion

His death proves His love for us, His “devotion” to us.

(Jn 15:13 NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

(Ro 5:8 NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(1 Jn 3:16 NKJV) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

I know that we go through difficult periods in life.

I know that we wonder if God could truly love us.

In reality, we should never doubt God’s love. We simply need to look at the cross to know for sure.

Forgive me for using “gimmicks” today.

There is one thing about today that is NOT a gimmick. God does love you.

Pray for the communion elements.

Before you come forward, one more video …

Play “Elements of Easter” video.

(Gal 2:20